Capture of St Florian

Albrecht Altdorfer's Capture of Saint Florian forms part of the celebrated Saint Florian Altarpiece, commissioned around 1518 for the Augustinian monastery of Saint Florian near Linz. This cycle of panels depicting the martyrdom of the patron saint represents Altdorfer at his most ambitious, combining historical narrative with the atmospheric landscape painting that defined the Danube School. The soldiers' elaborate armor and the dramatic torchlight effects demonstrate Altdorfer's fascination with the intersection of natural phenomena and human drama, here rendered in service of Counter-Reformation devotion.

The narrative scene places the saint's arrest within a characteristic Danube School landscape setting. Altdorfer's expressive figures and atmospheric effects create a dramatic interpretation of the hagiographic narrative.